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Ship Upgrade Rules
The ship upgrade rules are taken from the West End Games sourcebook and Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters. Any ship can have certain parts modified beyond their stock levels by a skilled technician, but there is always a risk involved. A technician can fail his skill roll needed to modify the ship, causing damage to the part being modified; it can even result in the destruction of that part, forcing the need for a replacement part all-together. Once the part is modified successfully, there is also the risk of mishaps down the line when using that part - the more you modify your ship, the more risks you take on for having problems down the line - that is why the military does not modify their ships beyond stock levels, because they no longer are reliable pieces of machinery. Think of the Millennium Falcon and her constant problems with her modified parts. Upgrading can also be expensive - the higher the modification, the more expensive it becomes. The price for each upgrade is determined by the base new cost of the ship. For instance, upgrading a YT-2550's sublight engines from 4 to 5 costs 22,000 credits - the base cost is 220,000 credits, and the price to upgrade the sublight engines one past its original specification is 10% of the base cost: 22,000 credits. The price scales with each subsequent upgrade (15% for raising it again, etc.) Each upgrade must be done in succession; you cannot auto-upgrade from a speed of 4 to a speed of 8; you have to go to 5, then 6, then 7, and then 8, paying each cost. There is also a maximum level a ship can be upgraded; for sublight engines, the maximum upgrade past the base speed is 4 points. So a YT-2550, with a base speed of 4, can only go up to 8. Getting Started You own a starship. You want to modify the sublight engines to get an extra boost of speed. You have to determine: do you trust your Space Transports Repair skill to do the job? The decision is yours; you can modify your own ship with our own tools. This naturally costs less, as you are doing the work yourself. However, sometimes it's best to go straight to a professional: a technician with the appropriate skills. They'll charge a bit more (service fees and all that), but they are usually safer option to ensure your ship doesn't break down. Either way, modifications can only be done when the ship is docked at a facility designed for modifications. This can be a shipyard or a planet-bound repair facility. Only they have the tools needed to do the job. Technicians can be private-based, working for themselves, or they can be employees at one of the major shipyards. To start, you or the technician must purchase a tool kit (5,000 credits). This tool kit will enable you to begin modification. Having other tools on hand is good... for instance, owning a Hydrospanner and having it in your inventory (not equipped, code gets screwy) will automatically give you a +1D bonus when doing the modification. There are four options for modification: sublight engines, maneuverability, hyperdrive, and hull. Shields cannot be upgraded, and weapons are a different system. Each upgrade must be done one by one; upgrade from 4 speed to 5 speed, and so on. To begin, you type +upgrade/sublight of the ship you're trying to upgrade. You must be outside the ship and in the same room as it to run the command. It'll tell you the amount of credits it will require. If you agree, you type +tool/finish. If you succeed, it will take your credits and change the stats to reflect the upgrade. If you fail (if your skill roll is below the difficulty number), it will still eat your credits and then it will damage the part you're upgrading; for instance, if you're upgrading from space speed of 4 to 5, and you fail, it will reduce your speed to 3. Sometimes you might have a catastrophic failure; in this case, the entire part is destroyed. This is only if you roll really, really bad. Rare but still possible. Now, once your ship is upgraded, it runs the risk of breaking down in the future; this done in the Mishaps table down below. If you want to buy a tool kit, @mail Danik in-game with your request. If you don't have the credits, @mail Danik for a loan from the Bank of the Core. If you're a professional technician and you want to make money off of doing ship upgrades, buy the tool kit and offer your services (or go work for one of the shipyards). You can charge your own service fees on top of the base cost (which the tool kit "eats"); so if costs 22,000 credits to upgrade a YT-2550 1 speed, you can charge, say, 7,000 credits on top of it, or however you wish to go. You'll have to compete with other technicians and set prices to ensure fair competition, naturally. Valid Upgrades There are four systems that can be modified: sublight engines, maneuverability drives, the hyperdrive, and the ship's hull. Shields cannot be upgraded. Upgrading weapons is a different system all-together and will not be included here as of now. Sublight Engines Speed can be the most important component in a ship, for it can save the lives of its crew. Characters must make a repair roll to increase the “Space” speed of their ship (use the conversion chart on page 110 of SecondEdition to determine the ship’s new speed in an atmosphere). The cost is based on the original retail price of the ship. Space Difficulty Cost Modifier Mishap +1 Moderate +10% +1 +2 Difficult +15% +1 +3 Very Difficult +25% +2 +4 Heroic +35% +3 Due to current technology standards, it is impossible to improve the Space by more than four. Maneuverability Drives A ship’s captain sometimes wishes to give his ship better maneuverability. This is usually accomplished with the installation of higher-powered lateral thrusters. Maneuverability Difficulty Cost Modifier Mishap +1 Easy +5% +1 +2 Moderate +10% +1 +1D Difficult +15% +1 +1D+1 Very Difficult +20% +2 +1D+2 Heroic +25% +3 Due to current technology standards, it is impossible to improve the maneuverability by more than +1D+2. Hyperdrives Old/New Difficulty Cost Modifier Mishap x4/x3 Easy +10% +1 x3/x2 Moderate +15% +1 x2/x1 Very Difficult +25% +2 x1/x1/2 Heroic +35% +3 Due to current technology standards, it is impossible to improve a hyperdrive to better than x1/2. Hull Hull Difficulty Cost Modifier Mishap +1 Moderate +10% +1 +2 Difficult +15% +1 +1D Very Difficult +20% +2 +1D+1 Heroic +25% +3 Due to current technology standards, it is impossible to improve the hull code by more than +1D+1. Product Liability Most stock light freighters can be modified (and often are), though virtually all manufacturers’ disclaimers state something along the lines of “modification of a space transport beyond its original design specifications is dangerous, unreliable and not recommended. Such modification invalidates any and all product warranties and service contracts.” Most captains ignore such warnings, and proceed to tool their ships far beyond design specs, ignoring the potential danger. Unfortunately, these warnings are not without basis; modifying a space transport too far past its original design specs can lead to catastrophic systems failure at inopportune moments. In game terms, ships experience difficulty in direct proportion to the extent of ship modifications; avessel that has increased its hull strength by+l is much less likely to suffer a catastrophic failure than a ship with a hull that has been upgraded by +lD or more. Conversely, ships with less modification do not gain the benefits that heavily upgraded craft experience (at least, when the blasted contraptions actually work). Gamemasters should keep track of which systems that player characters have modified and by how much. A system that has been modified experiences a malfunction if the player character is using a modified system, rolls a one on the wild die and the gamemaster chooses to use a complication instead of just subtracting the character’s highest die. The gamemaster should roll one die to determine how serious the malfunction is, adding modifiers as indicated under the modification rules to find out what happens. Then the gamemaster should roll on the "Modified Starship Mishap Table" to see exactly what happens. GameMasters are encouraged to design custom mishap tables to fit specific starships -every ship has its own personality (an unnerving hum whenever the hyperdrive is engaged, or a tendency to lose all fire control if the ship does some fancy maneuvering). In MUSH Terms Basically, it is impossible to code a system where modified systems are affected by mishaps. So basically, if you're just flying your ship from planet a to planet b, you have nothing to fear from upgrading your ship. However, if you do get involved in RP with your ship and a Gamemaster is present, the GM can use the mishap rules on modified starships - this provides a balance. Also, if a GM is not present, a player may still use the mishap rules if the players involved agree. The more you upgrade your ship, the higher chance of something bad happening occurs. It's the nature of the beast: you upgrade your ship for that extra power and performance, but you run the risk of breaking down at a bad time... such as when Han Solo needs to elude Imperial Star Destroyers. Types of Mishaps *Modify as indicated for each system's modification rules. *A roll of a "1" always counts as a minor mishap. Die Roll Type of Mishap 1-2 Minor 3-5 Moderate 6+ Catastrophic Sublight Engines Mishap Tables Minor Mishaps Roll Result 1 Engine power transfer conduit blows out. Speed is -2 (-20) until repaired (Easy repair roll) 2 Drive system stalls. Ship must continue at same speed for 2 rounds. 3 Power surges increase difficulty of all maneuvers by +5 for 1 round. 4 Engine reaching unsafe operating parameters: ship must make no maneuvers for next 2 rounds or circuits burn out, adding +10 to the difficulty of all maneuvers until repaired (Easy difficulty). 5 Engine power surges. Add +5 to the difficulty of all maneuvers, including landing. Repairs cost 10% of engine cost. 6 Engine power conduits blow out. All maneuvers at +10 to difficulty until rerouted (Moderate repair roll, takes 2 rounds) Moderate Mishaps Roll Result 1 Powersurges.Add +10 to the difficulty of all maneuvers for 2D rounds. 2 Drive circuit link failure. Roll 1D at the beginning of each round. On 1-2, controls are considered ionized for that round. 3 Engine power transfer conduit blows out. Space is -2 until repaired (Moderate repair roll). 4 Drive system stalls. Ship must continue at same speed for 2 rounds, maneuverability considered 0D for 5 rounds. 5 Temporary drive failure. Ship is dead in space for 1D rounds. 6 Engine reaching unsafe operating parameters ship must make no maneuvers for next 2 rounds or circuits burn out, adding +10 to the difficulty of all maneuvers until repaired (Moderate difficulty). Catastrophic Mishaps Roll Result 1 Engine overloads while landing or docking as a result of stresses. Replacement parts cost 25% of the original cost of the engine. 2 Engine over load. Engine shuts down, with no thrust, maneuverability is effectively 0D. Add + 15 to all astrogation difficulties 3 Engine overloads and is destroyed. Must be completely replaced. 4 Engine overload. Engine destroyed, must be replaced, anyone near the engine compartment suffers 4D damage from explosion and smoke inhalation. 5 Engine overload and power surge. Engine destroyed and disables hyperdrive (Difficult repair roll to fix). 6 Drive system fails as ship is on final approach for landing. Pilot must make Difficult piloting rolls not to crash the ship (5D damage to all aboard if ship crashes). Maneuverability Mishap Tables Minor Mishaps Roll Result 1 Control circuit malfunction causes maneuverability to be -lD for l round. 2 Alluvial dampers misaligned. Maneuverability at -2D until Easy repair roll made. 3 Minor radiation leak: nothing immediately dangerous, but must be repaired before next hyperspace jump (Easy repair roll), or increase all astrogation difficulties by +10 and anyone in the engine room suffers 4D radiation damage. 4 Lateral thrusters misfire. Add +5 to the difficulty of any maneuvers and enemy ships get a +5 bonus to hit in this round. 5 Engine maneuvering circuitry blows. Add +5 to the difficulty of all maneuvers until circuits are replaced (an Easy repair roll if the characters have thecircuits on hand). 6 System short. Maneuverability is OD for one round. Moderate Mishaps Roll Result 1 Control circuit malfunction causes maneuverability to be -2D for l round. 2 Radiation leak: nothing immediately dangerous, but must be repaired before next hyperspace jump (Moderate repair roll), or increase all astrogation difficulties by +10 and double all hyperspace travel times. Anyone in the engine room suffers 4D radiation damage. 3 Alluvial dampers misaligned. Maneuverability at -2D until Moderate repair roll made. 4 System short. Maneuverability is 0D for 1D rounds. 5 Engine maneuvering circuitry blows. Add +l0 to the difficulty of all maneuvers until circuits are replaced (an Easy repair roll if the characters have the circuits on hand). 6 Lateral thrusters misfire. Add +5 to the difficulty of any maneuvers and enemy ships get a +5 bonus to hit for next 3 rounds. Catastrophic Mishaps Roll Result 1 Lateral thrusters blow. Maneuverability is 0D and system must be completely replaced. 2 Systemshort. Maneuverabilityis 0D for 1 round. Short remains: at the beginning of each additional round, roll 1D. On a 1-2, the system shorts out for that round. 3 Maneuvering thrusters firing randomly. Increase difficulty of all maneuvers by +10 until system is shutdown (Easy piloting roll) and repaired (Moderate repair roll and requires 500 credits worth of parts). 4 Serious power surge. Maneuverability is 0D for 1D rounds and feedback destroys one ship system. Roll 1D: 1 Hyperdrive 2-3 Ion drive 4 Sensors 5 Communications 6 1 weapon (determine randomly) 5 Major radiation leak. Double all hyperspace travel times and any player next to the engine compartments suffers 6D radiation damage. 6 Lateral thrusters blow up (maneuverability 0D) and power feedback lowers Space by -2 for 1D rounds. Hyperdrive Mishap Tables Minor Mishaps Roll Result 1 Hyperdrive fluctuation. Trips takes 1D hours longer than normal. 2 Hyperdrive motivator damaged. Ship will not enter hyperdrive until the motivator is fixed (Very Easy repair roll). 3 Hyperdrive power flux. Ship will not enter hyperspace until 2 rounds after hyperdrive is engaged. 4 Power overload: emergency circuits shunt energy into alternate system. Roll 1D to see which system is destroyed: 1-2 Communications 3-4 Sensors 5-6 Lose 1D of shields 5 Hyperdrive misaligned. Character must make Easy repair roll before hyperdrive can be engaged. 6 Misjump. Hyperdrive cuts out in wrong system. Moderate Mishaps Roll Result 1 Hyperdrive overload. The main hyperdrive nearly overloaded. Characters must make a Difficult repair roll to get it operating again. 2 Hyperdrive power flux. Ship will not enter hyperspace until 1D+2 rounds after hyperdrive is engaged. 3 Power surges destroy backup hyperdrive and double hyperdrive modifier (x 1/2 is now x1, x 1 is now x2, x2 is now x4). 4 Misjump. Hyperdrive cuts out in wrong system. 5 Hyperdrive fluctuation. Trips takes 4D hours longer than normal. 6 Hyperdrive destroyed. The ship arrives at its destination, but the hyperdrive is destroyed as the ship emerges into realspace. Catastrophic Mishaps Roll Result 1 Hyperdrive blows. The main hyperdrive is completely destroyed. 2 Hyperdrive overloaded. Power flux nearly destroys hyperdrive. Characters must make a Very Difficult repair roll to get it operating again. 3 Collision. Ship collides with a heavy object while in hyperspace. The ship drops to real space, heavily damaged and with a ruptured hull. The ship is no longer space worthy and must be abandoned. 4 Power surges mean trip takes 1D days longer than expected. 5 Misjump. Ship emerges in wrong system. 6 Near miss. Ship nearly collides with a stellar object and drops to realspace at the last instant. The pilot must now plot a new hyperspace course. Hull Mishap Tables Minor Mishaps Roll Result 1 Power surge wipes out sensors and communication systems for 1D rounds. 2 Minor hull stress; automatic bulkheads seal for 2 rounds. Characters may not move to different sections of the ship until pilot makes a Very Easy computer programming/repair roll. 3 Minor hull stress; susceptible to further damage. If the ship is damaged in the next three rounds, add +lD to the enemy's damage roll. 4 Shield array damaged through power fluxes.Shieids reduced by -1D for 1 round. 5 Engine vibration stresses hull. Hull code is -1D for 1 round. 6 Engine vibration causes hull stress. Reduce the ship's Space by -1 and maneuverability by -lD for 2 rounds. Moderate Mishaps Roll Result 1 Engine vibration stresses hull. Hull code is -lD for 1D rounds. 2 Hull stress; susceptible to further damage. If the ship is damaged in the next three rounds, add +2D to the enemy’s damage roll. 3 Microscopic hull breach; automatic bulkheads seal. Characters may not move to different sections of the ship until pilot makes a Very Easy computer pmgramming/repair roll (to open bulkheads) and a Very Easy repair roll to fix the breach. 4 Shield failure due to power fluxes. Shields reduced by -lD for 1D rounds and after that reduced by -1 until Easy space transports repair roll. 5 Power surge overloads sensors and communications systems for 1D rounds. 6 Power surge interferes with hyperdrive motivator. All astrogation attempts in the next 1D rounds add +10 to the difficulty. Catastrophic Mishaps Roll Result 1 Power surges destroys one ship system. Roll 1D: 1 Communications 2-3 Sensors 4-5 Backup hyperdrive 6 Main hyperdrive 2 Hull breach; automatic bulkheads seal. Any character in breached compartment suffers 8D damage from vacuum until computer systems attach temporary seal (1D rounds). Character can attach seal manually with a Difficult Strength total (due to fighting the effects of the vacuum). 3 Hull breach and bulkheads fail! All characters in ship suffer 8D damage from vacuum until characters attach temporary seal (Difficult Strengfh total) or computer system activates seal (ID rounds). 4 Engine vibration causes serious hull damage- reduce hull by-3D until repairs are made (Very Difficult repair roll). 5 Severe power fluctuations reduce shields by 9D until Moderate repairroll is made. 6 Hull breach in cargo hold: half of the cargo is sucked from the ship into the vacuum of space. How It Works Naturally, this only needs to be done when a Gamemaster is present or if the players present agree; otherwise, pay no heed. However, when a GM is present, it works like this: You upgraded your sublight from 4 to 7; that's 3 point difference, so a mishap modifier of +2. You're piloting your starship. You're dodging enemy laser fire. You +check Space Transports and roll a 1 on the wild die; the GM decides not to subtract the points but rather use a "complication" (see Wild Die). The Gamemaster then rolls one die; he comes up with a 2. He uses the modifier mishap of +2 to result in 4 total. This is a "Moderate mishap" as seen above. He rolls one die again, this time focusing on the Moderate Mishap table. He results in a 4. This, on the Sublight Moderate Mishap table, is "drive system stalls, ship must continue at same speed for 2 rounds". And so on. Be careful with upgrading! Category:Rules